While animals are usually pointed to as examples of how not to act in public, Golden Gate Transit officials are also using them to remind bus and ferry passengers of good behavior expected during travel.

Weirdest Creatures of the World

It's no fun to ride the ferry while sitting next to someone who's tearing through their breakfast like a ravaging bear. And trying to find a seat on a crowded bus is hard enough without your neighbor's overstuffed luggage that they're toting around like a pack mule.

Signs for the new mind your manners campaign include a bear about to feast on a fish with the message "This is not a restaurant." There's also a stress management sign featuring two foxes in a face-to-face confrontation that reminds passengers "not to act or make comments that could be perceived as threatening." Another reminds passengers to load the bus in an orderly fashion using an example of good animal behavior: ducks in a row.

Animals in the News

Other ads reminds people not to use obscene language, talk loudly on cell phones or listen to loud music on headphones. Then there's the simple reminder for passengers to be kind to each other. That sign reminds passengers to keep personal grooming off the ferry or bus -- don't clip fingernails or toenails during the commute. (Really? People clip their toenails on the bus?)

The lighthearted signs will rotate through buses and ferries as the transit agency posts the new code of conduct in vehicles.

Seems simple enough, right? Turn to the golden rules of the animal kingdom and we won't turn into animals.